A Crescent Moon
by HestiaForever
Summary: It's 1995, during the Second Wizarding War, and everyone thinks things can't get any worse. Voldemort is back, everyone is in danger once again, and the Order of the Phoenix has been forced to reconvene. But when a series of unfortunate events leads to Mundungus Fletcher shattering a time-turner, it seems that everyone is wrong... Next Generation Time Travel fan fiction.
1. How It Happened

**A/N: Hi! It's me again, HestiaForever! I had the idea for the fanfiction a couple weeks ago, and it's been bugging me ever since. Yes, I know I should be working on updating my other fanfiction,** _**A Strange Encounter**_ **(check it out if you haven't yet!), but I just needed to get this idea out of my head…**

 **A lot of people have been writing stories in which the Next Generation goes back in time to the era of the second Order of the Phoenix, but I personally haven't seen many where the Order goes forward to the Next Generation, and I think it'd be a great twist to the now cliched Next Gen. Time Travel stories!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or settings in this story, nor do I claim ownership. It all goes to the great J.K. Rowling, who had changed many lives(including my own) with her wonderful writing and creativity.**

The gleaming crescent moon hung overhead as the Order of the Phoenix entered the queer house at Twelve Grimmauld Place. First came Remus John Lupin, looking harried and crumpled, a symptom of his life as a werewolf, whom apparated onto the doorstep with a worried look at the moon. Next came the pretty half-blood witch Hestia Jones, who, like Remus, apparated onto the doorstep with a _pop_ where Remus had been a moment ago and entered the odd building without another sound. Then Nymphadora Tonks, currently purple-haired, in a similar manner, then Elphias Doge, then Emmeline Vance, then Mundungus Fletcher, followed still, one by one, by the rest of the Order, until all the the members of the famed Order of the Phoenix presided inside.

The various witches and wizards congregated around a long table in the drawing room. Slowly, a gray, bespectacled wizard stood, and a hush fell over everyone. He hadn't said anything, hadn't made any motions for the Order to fall silent, but something about him commanded attention. Despite the kind glimmer in his piercing blue eyes, everything about him- his wise, time-worn face, his colorful yet regal robes, his long, silver beard- he gave off a powerful, respect-me aura that was impossible to ignore.

So it was expected when the entire Order immediately quieted at the slightest movement from him. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but just then, there was a shriek.

"Stop! Mundungus, stop! No! NO! LET GO OF THAT! NOW!" Hestia Jones screamed, frantically gesturing at the bald half-blood. At first glance, he seemed to be doing nothing that would be problematic. But upon further inspection, one could see that he was dangling a sort of golden necklace from his fingers. And the pendant of the necklace… the pendant of the necklace was a hourglass.

It was a Time-turner.

The other members of the Order of the Phoenix seemed to come upon the same conclusion, as there was a general outcry. All could see the dangerous necklace dangling precariously from Mundungus's hand. And if it shattered… well…

If nothing else unfortunate had occurred, what transpired that night may not have happened at all. But as it was, that moment was the moment that Tonks chose to come stumbling into the drawing room from the corridor, where the lavatory that she had been using was located.

Many things happened at once. Tonks, already very nearly falling from tripping over her very own feet on the way in, was surprised and distracted by the roar of protest raising in the room and the crowd forming around Mundungus. She fell, with a splat, onto the floor.

Of course, if Tonks had been a couple of feet back when she fell, nothing would have happened. But as it was, that night was very unfortunate, as I have already stated.

As Tonks fell, she subconsciously grabbed onto cloak of the person nearest to her, who just happened to be Arthur Weasley, in a fruitless attempt to save herself. Arthur, taken by surprise, was not able to pull Tonks up, but rather fell himself, bringing his wife, Molly, who he was standing next to, down with him. Molly had been clutching Mundungus, trying to get him to give Dumbledore the time-turner. When Molly fell, Mundungus fell with her.

And, of course, the time-turner fell with Mundungus.

At this point in the story, once again, if that night had not been so unfortunate, the rather, well, disastrous happenings might have been avoided. But as it was, that was not to be.

Because when the time-turner shattered, instead of nothing happening, as was expected, the sand of the hourglass, now freed from its glass confines, rose up into a cloud. And as the Order watched, deadly silence reigning, a silvery, mist-like material began to form around the sand cloud.

For a moment, nothing happened, and some of the Order began to believe that nothing would.

Alas, the danger of assumptions.

Suddenly, the mist began growing at an alarming rate. In fact, it grew to such a colossal mass in such a short time that none of the order, trained witches and wizards as they were, were able to do anything about it.

And in another moment, without a sound, the Order of the Phoenix had disappeared.

 **A/N: What do you think? If you have a moment, would you drop me a quick review, or at least a follow and a favorite? You guys' feedback means so much to me!**

 **Also, be sure to check out my other fanfictions! Thanks!**


	2. The Visitors

Chapter 2

 **Hi! I'm back! Here's the next installment of** _ **A Crescent Moon**_ **!**

 **I know I've been saying that I'll update my other ongoing fanfiction,** _ **A Strange Encounter**_ **, for the past week now, but I promise, the next chapter of that will be out soon. I've just got a bunch of standardized testing this week and the next. Ugh. And the people in charge of the education department here in South Carolina, USA don't seem to be able to make up their minds about standardized testing, so we have a new type of test practically every year that's supposedly 'better' than the one before it. I wish.**

 **Anyway, back to my original point: please check out** _ **A Strange Encounter**_ **if you haven't yet!**

 **Thank you all for all of your support! I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed, favorited, or followed. Cookies for everyone! (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)**

 **So now I'll shut up and we can get to the disclaimer, then the actual story. ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings in this story, nor do I claim ownership. It all goes to the great J.K. Rowling, who had changed many lives(including my own) with her wonderful writing and creativity.**

Molly Prewett Weasley felt like retching.

No, scratch that. She felt like utterly puking her guts out. And on top of that, she felt worried, shocked, angry beyond compare- well, you get the gist of it.

Why, you might ask?

That fool Mundungus Fletcher was the stupidest, most unbearable, aggravating, creature on the entire planet.

And because of that, here they were, being dragged by nothing through- well- nothing.

It felt almost like using a portkey, except the gentle tugging sensation was amplified a hundredfold. And on top of that, Molly's stomach was churning like she'd just swallowed a particularly disagreeable combination of the twins' "products".

And, of course, there was the fact that she couldn't see, feel, or hear anything, which just made the pain in her navel and the nausea worse-

A blast of warm summer air buffeted an unsuspecting Molly in the face, and she gasped. Before she was able to see what was going on, there was suddenly a sensation of falling, then a sharp pain in her head, and several _omph_ s and _ouch_ es that she knew did not belong to her.

When Molly opened her eyes, she saw that she had landed head-first in some grass. In fact, upon further inspection, she was in the front lawn of a-

Oh. Merlin.

She was in the front lawn of an absolutely huge house. In fact, not really _in the front lawn_. More like to the side in a patch of grass. The front of the house- well, mansion, really- was occupied by a huge fountain and an intricate formation of hedges. The mansion itself was huge- at least three floors high, quite wide, and made of a tan colored stone. Rows of Victorian windows filled the front of the house, not to mention some pretty intricate stonework.

Beside her, she heard a gasp. Spinning around, wand in hand in case of a threat, she quickly relaxed. It had merely been Sirius. In fact, all of the Order was behind her on the grass, some still picking themselves up, others already up and staring, open mouthed, at the huge manor in front of them.

For several moments, silence reigned. Then Molly felt herself explode. "MUNDUNGUS! Now look what you've done! That was a time-turner, and seeing as it's IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY RIGHT NOW, I'd bet ANYTHING that we're LOST SOMEWHERE IN TIME!"

There was a breakout of muttering at this, and it was Arthur who calmed Molly down. "Molls, please," he pleaded, looking at her. "We can figure this out-"

"FIGURE THIS OUT?! WE'RE STUCK SOMEWHERE IN THE _MIDDLE OF TIME_ , FOR MERLIN'S SAKE-"

Surprisingly, it was Remus who interrupted, though his words were not directed at Molly. Or at anyone, for that matter. For the past couple of minutes, Remus had been completely ignoring all going on around him, staring, as if in a trance, at the mansion. Now, he finally spoke.

"Potter Manor," he breathed, as if in a trance.

Everyone went silent.

"What?" Molly asked intently, her eyes boring into Remus.

Remus didn't say anything. He just kept staring at the mansion with an unreadable look in his eyes.

It was Sirius who answered Molly. "We're at Potter Manor. Where…" His voice caught, but he managed to go on, though his voice was barely above a whisper. "James's childhood home."

Suddenly, Molly understood. _Potter_ Manor. She could recognize that look in Remus's eye now.

It was greif.

No one said anything.

Hestia broke the silence. "So… What do we do now?"

Surprisingly, it was Snape who answered. "We find out what time period we're in," he drawled in a voice that said, _duh, stupid_.

"Uh… if no one minds me asking, how are we going to do that, exactly?" Tonks questioned, ignoring Snape's rude tone. "Without going into the manor, of course, which may not be the safest course of action," she added, shooting glances at her cousin and Remus, who were both staring at the mansion in a nostalgic, grieved manner. " 'Cause, well, what if someone sees us?"

"We may not have another choice," Dumbledore said, gravely. "If this indeed Potter Manor, we must have time traveled years. Potter Manor has been in disarray for nearly fifteen years now."

There were gasps all around. "You mean… you mean we're-" Bill started.

He was but off by a furious Molly. "Years!? YEARS!? MUNDUNGUS-"

"Molly," Dumbledore said calmly.

Molly flushed immediately. "Sorry, headmaster."

"Quite alright. Now, I suggest we enter the Manor-"

"Enter?" Sirius asked, faintly, along with a chorus of gasps. "But- I mean-"

"We will have to take the risk, Mr. Black," the elderly wizard replied. "We can obliviate anyone who sees us before we get back."

"Albus," Minerva started nervously. "Are you sure?"

"Quite," he assured her. "Although, we may as well take precautions to not be seen to the best of our ability," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"But, Professor-" Snape began to drawl.

"Severus," Dumbledore said, almost warningly. "The matter is settled."

"So, how do we… er…" Emmeline Vance spoke, for the first time since they had arrived. "I mean…"

"We should check for protective spells first," Mad-Eye Moody said, heavily. "Do you really think this is a good idea, Albus?"

"Once again, I am quite sure," the headmaster said. "Now," he started in a more pleasant tone, "Would you mind performing several spells to check for any protective wards, as you mentioned, Alastor?"

Moody grunted consent and muttered a few spells, everyone watching him closely. After a moment, he said, "There're a lot of protective and anti-apparition wards. Pretty strong ones, too. But we seem to have ended up inside of all of them, so it should be fine."

Remus spoke up. "How many are there?"

"Five, at the least."

"That's strange. I don't remember that many wards on Potter Manor."

"Me neither," Sirius agreed. "We must gone back really far. At least twenty five or so years."

At this point, if Albus Dumbledore had not been standing there, the Order probably would have broken into chaos. But as it was, there were only mutterings and gasps.

"Really far?" Hestia Jones said, almost fearfully. "But-"

"Well," Tonks interrupted, as cheerfully as she could manage, "I suppose the only way to find out really how far we traveled is to enter the Manor.."

The Order of the Phoenix carefully made their way to the entrance of the manor, a set of huge oak double doors engraved with the Potter family seal. It was quite noticeable that the manor did, indeed, look like someone inhabited it regularly. The shrubs and flowers were carefully trimmed and cared for, the fountain was running perfectly and was quite clean, and everything gave off an organized, yet homely, feel.

As the Order walked, Remus and Sirius studied everything- from the bricks that made the path around the fountain and to the entrance, to every single plant. Both quickly noticed it was quite different from when they had last seen it- the plants were different and arranged in different ways, the fountain even looked somewhat unfamiliar. And the whole place- it just _felt_ foreign.

Sirius let out a low whistle. "Merlin. This place sure is different."

"I've been wondering," Tonks said to Sirius and Remus, overhearing. She backtracked a little, to where the two of them were walking a little behind the rest of the Order. "What if- what if we didn't go _back_ in time?"

Both men gave her confused looks. "What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

But, slowly, understanding dawned over Remus's face. "No. It can't be. It's never been done before."

"So? Nobody's ever traveled in time more than a couple of hours either, but here we are."

Sirius looked between them, confused. "What? Anyone mind explaining what you two are talking about?"

Remus looked at him, and said, slowly, carefully, "What if we traveled forward?"

 **A/N: Dun dun dun! Cliffhanger!**

 **I know you probably all hate me right now, but I promise the next chapter will be up very, very soon.**

 **If you have a moment, please, review, or at least favorite and follow. It means so much to me! :)**

 **Bye!**


	3. The Meeting

**A/N: I'm back! Already! ;)**

 **So here's the next installment of** _ **A Crescent Moon**_ **!**

 **I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed. Thank you all so much for your support! It really means a lot to me. :) Also, a special thank-you to Flint247 for inspiration. Cookies for everyone! (::)(::)(::)(::)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings in this story, nor do I claim ownership. It all goes to the great J.K. Rowling, who had changed many lives(including my own) with her wonderful writing and creativity.**

 _Remus looked at him, and said, slowly, carefully, "What if we traveled forward?"_

Sirius stared at Remus. "Traveled _forward_? That's not possible. It can't be possible."

"Why not?" Tonks argued. "If time traveling more than a couple hours is possible, seeing as we just did it, why not forward?"

"Well," Remus said, heavily, "I guess the only way to find out is to get in the mansion."

After that, the entire Order walked in silence, still shocked about what had played out. Time traveling more than a couple hours was unthinkable. Incredible. Unbelieveable.

Suddenly, Molly let out a gasp. "The children! What are they going to do when wake up and we're gone?!"

There was another outbreak of muttering, but then Dumbledore opened his mouth and everyone fell silent. "I'm sure the children will be fine, Molly. I daresay many of them have been through more than this. Besides, the passing of time in the two time periods may not even line up- we could have to stay here for days, but go back and find only several minutes have passed."

His words had a calming effect on everyone, and soon, they reached the entrance to the manor in silence.

Dumbledore raised his hand to the large oak doors, as if to knock, but McGonagall cut in, worriedly. "Albus- are you sure this is a good idea? I mean… well, we probably won't be able to return to our time without help. But-"

"Once again, Minerva, I am quite sure," he replied, almost impatiently. "Besides, memory charms aren't for nothing," Albus added, noticeably more cheerily.

And then he knocked.

At first, nothing happened, and some of the Order started to think that whoever inhabited the Manor at this time was not home. But soon, the large oaken doors opened a crack, though not enough to see inside, and someone, probably a child, inside the Manor could be heard yelling, "Dad! Rose and Hugo are here, I think!"

"Let them in!" a older, male voice answered. "Tell them I'll be down in a moment, and that Gin's still at that quidditch game. She's supposed to be back in an hour, at the most."

"Okay-" the doors swung open, revealing a teenage boy, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, standing in the entrance hall of Potter Manor. He stopped short in the middle of his sentence, staring at the Order disbelievingly.

The Order stared back.

The boy looked nearly exactly like an older version of Harry Potter. Same rowdy black hair that stuck up in the exact same places, same shining emerald eyes, same slightly scrawny frame. The only differences were that this boy had no scar or glasses, and was noticeably less thin.

Potter Manor was, perhaps, even more impressive inside than outside. The huge entrance hall was made of creamy-colored bricks, and magic pictures and portraits lined the walls. From the huge arched ceiling hung an exquisite chandelier, and, if one looked up, two levels of balconies met the eye. Beautiful carved doors led to, presumably, other rooms. A large staircase sat in the middle of the hall, with a long red carpet covering the steps, leading to the next floor.

For a moment, both parties stood, rock-still, staring at each other. Then, fast as lightning, the boy suddenly had his wand out, pointed towards the Order. "Dad! Uh… you'd better come down here!"

"We come in peace," Dumbledore said reassuringly. But the boy looked anything but reassured. His eyes were wide open, his mouth hanging agape. And his wand was still pointed unwaveringly at the Order.

In a moment, a man came down the huge staircase. And when the Order saw him, they gaped even more.

The man was, without a doubt, a grown-up version of Harry Potter. Same messy black hair, sparkling emerald green eyes, and round spectacles. And besides, he had an air about him that was so remarkably _Harry_. But he had changed over the years, too. The lightning scar on his forehead was so faded it was nearly invisible, and he was definitely _not_ scrawny anymore. In fact, he had filled in quite nicely, and had grown rather tall. His face, though not really _wrinkled,_ bore quite a couple of smile lines that were reminiscent of many happy hours.

Seeing him filled most of the Order with a sort of inexplicable happiness. All of them(except Severus, perhaps) had always felt bad for Harry. After losing his parents so young and having to live with muggles that would probably rather see him dead, the poor kid had had the fate of the entire wizarding world dumped on him. And he just seemed to attract trouble. Seeing Harry alive, and so happy, was like a warm hug, like an assurance that his life would end up being good after such a horrible start. And, of course, if Harry was still alive, with a family, and so cheerful, the chances were that You-Know-Who was dead in this time period.

"Al, what-" Harry began.

And then his eyes caught on the Order.

Immediately, the Order found another wand pointed on them faster than anyone would have conceived possible. For a moment, shock and pain filled Harry's eyes. Then, any emotion in his eyes disappeared, the sparkle in his eye was immediately extinguished, and his laid back posture instantly moulded into a battle position.

Seeing him react like that seemed to take away some of the happiness that had came when the Order had first seen Harry. His reaction was that of a battle-hardened warrior, and it was a rather painful reminder that You-Know-Who's downfall would not come without a price. How many of the Order were dead in this time period?

"Who are you and what do you want?" Harry asked immediately, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Harry-" Dumbledore started.

"I repeat- who are you and what do you want?" Harry repeated. "If this is a joke, it is _not_ funny."

"I am Albus Dumbledore," Dumbledore replied calmly.

"Impossible. Unless you are not he, the Albus Dumbledore I knew died years ago."

At this, there were many muffled gasps from the Order, but Dumbledore himself did not seem fazed in the least.

"But I am, Harry. We have time traveled from the past."

"Don't expect me to believe that," Harry said coldly. "The Ministry of Magic is barely in possession one working time turner-nor have they had more since the spring of 1996-let alone any that could travel more than several hours."

"Yet it is true, whether you believe it or not. We are the Order of the Phoenix, and have time-traveled to this time from the summer of 1995."

Until then, Albus Potter had been watching everything play out, wearing a shocked and disbelieving expression, from the door frame. Upon hearing the date from which the supposed time-travelers had come from, he gasped. "1995?! But that's- but…" He trailed off, but his gaze swept over the Order as if seeing them for the first time, his eyes getting wider and wider with every witch or wizard he saw. "Oh Merlin."

Harry turned to his son, his stone-cold composure melting as their eyes met. "Al-"

But he never got to finish, because, just then, the Floo activated.

 **A/N: Whoo hoo! I know it's somewhat short, but I thought that was a good place to end it, and I wanted to post something. I promise, I'm already working on the next chapter!**

 **Loved it? Hated it? Either way, if you have a moment, could you drop me a review, please? It would mean so much to me!**

 **Remember- reviews always make me update faster. ;)**

 **Bye, for now!**


	4. Surprises and Speculation

**A/N: Helloooooo!**

 **So here's the fourth installment of** _ **A Crescent Moon**_ **! I tried to update as fast as I could after the cliffhanger I left you guys last time. I know this is still really late, though, and also sort of short, though, so I'd like to apologize. I've been really busy lately with school and piano competitions and recitals and all that. ;)**

 **If you're a Harry Potter fan (you probably are, seeing as you're here right now), be sure to check out my other fanfictions!**

 **Review, please! It means so much to me!**

 _Harry turned to his son, his stone-cold composure melting as their eyes met. "Al-"_

 _But he never got to finish, because, just then, the Floo activated._

There was a crash from inside one of the doors lining the entrance hall and a curse.

"Bloody hell! That wasn't there before!"

"Ronald! Language!"

Everyone froze. _Ron and Hermione?_

Harry seemed to think the same thing. "Ron? Hermione? You'd better come and see this."

"What-" Ron stepped into the entrance hall, eyes sweeping across the scene. Upon seeing him, many of the Order, specifically his parents and brother, gasped. Ron had _grown_. He was definitely over six feet now. His hair was as red as ever, and, like Harry, he had gotten much muscular.

When Ron's eyes reached the Order, still standing outside, he stopped short. " _Merlin_. What in-"

"What is it?" Hermione asked, also stepping into the hall, holding a teenage boy's hand.

And when they saw the boy, the Order _stared_.

This boy was, undoubtedly, the son of Ron and Hermione. He had the clear blue Weasley eyes and his father's facial features and tall height, but had apparently inherited Hermione's brown hair, though it was considerably less bushy.

And truth be told, Hermione's hair wasn't even bushy anymore. It had smoothed out over the years into beautiful, wavy brown locks. And even though she wasn't near as tall as Ron, Hermione had also grown quite a bit.

It came as quite the surprise to the Order that Ron and Hermione were married. They quarreled continuously in the Order of the Phoenix's time, and the two of them even being in a romantic relationship without blowing each other up was unimaginable, let alone married successfully.

 _Most_ of the Order, that is.

Not Molly Weasley. She had seen the symptoms even before Ron and Hermione themselves. The subconscious secret glances that always lingered a bit longer than normal; the ever-present jealousy; the flushed cheeks and stammering.

Hermione Granger's- no, Weasley's- eyes swept over the scene, much like her husband had done moments earlier, her eyes getting narrower and narrower with every second. Several emotions flickered visibly over her face in a matter of seconds- first confusion, then surprise, then grief and longing, then disbelief, and finally back to confusion. Finally she turned to Harry. "Harry, what in Merlin's name is going on here?"

"They _claim_ -" Harry said, emphasizing the word claim- "To be from the past."

All of the newcomers stifled gasps, and, for a moment, silence reigned. "But- but that's not possible!" Hermione finally exclaimed. "They'd have to be- be from _years_ in the past!"

The Order watched this exchange with silent mouths and anxious hearts. What happened to them would depend on whether the witches and wizards of the future believed them.

Just then, another girl stepped into the entrance hall, looking slightly concerned. She looked a bit older than the boy next to Hermione, and was, if anything, a Weasley. Red hair- check. Clear blue eyes- check. The Weasley facial features- check.

At first, the future people didn't seem to notice her, since they and the 1995 Order of the Phoenix were caught in some sort of intense staring contest. But then she cleared her throat, and spoke. "Er, mum? What in Merlin's name is going on here?"

Many of the members of the Order, especially Molly, had to suppress smiles at how similar the redhead girl's words were to her mother's several moments before. "Rose, love," Hermione started, turning to the teen, "This is somewhat of a… _complicated_ situation. They are claiming to be from the past."

The girl, whose name was apparently Rose, gasped, hand flying to her mouth and eyes widening, inspecting the strange assortment of people at the door of Potter Manor carefully. "Well… they do look awfully like… er…" she said, trailing off.

 _Awfully like what?_ Molly thought. Why did all of the future children- and adults, for that matter- seem so… hesitant to approach the Order? There was, of course, the fact that their claim of being from decades in the past seemed as far fetched as saying that they had been resurrected from the dead by friendly purple-and-green dragons, but there wasn't only suspicion in their gazes. There was also nostalgia, and, if you looked deep enough, _pain_.

And then it struck her.

How many of them had died in the Second Wizarding War? How many of them were merely memories to the grown-ups standing before them, and only stories and pictures to their children?

It all made sense. _Of course, Molly_ , she chided herself. _It would have been foolish and naive to think that we would all have been able to make it out alive._ But even as she thought these things, Molly felt a pang of pain. How many of those close to her had she lost? Had she died herself, forced to leave those she loved behind? Had she ever gotten the chance to see her grandchildren?

Near her, Remus had come to the same conclusion. Looking into Harry's eyes, he saw much pain and grief in the emerald orbs. Had he and Sirius died, perhaps? Thinking about his and his friend's possible demise, Remus Lupin felt no apprehension towards his own death, but rather worry for Harry. If he and Sirius died, what would the poor boy do? Merlin knew he had already been through enough already.

But looking at the confident, happy, grown-up Harry in front of him, well off and with a family of his own, Remus couldn't help but feel a burst of pride and joy. Despite everything against him, Harry Potter had defeated the odds, and had not only most likely defeated Voldemort, but had survived. And that was enough for the werewolf.

Dumbledore surveyed the scene in front of him joyously and contentedly, blue eyes twinkling more than usual. He most likely wasn't alive anymore in this time period, along with many, many, others. Too many others. But it was obvious Tom Riddle had been defeated at last, despite all of the precautions the dark wizard had taken to prevent his own death. The future wizarding world seemed to have a bright future.

Severus Snape didn't know what to think. Sure, his first reaction was disgust. That _Potter spawn_ had _reproduced_? Who had he bribed to be his wife?

But then he saw those green eyes, two pairs, now, and he felt a pang of guilt and loss. _Oh, Lily. I'm so sorry._ Severus's insides were a jumble of emotions that he couldn't sort out and a patchwork of memories, _painful memories_ , that he'd rather forget. Despite his talent for occlumency, he had never been good with emotions. Others' or his own. He could easily block them out, sure, but that was merely a temporary fix. And when it came to sorting emotions out… well, he was helpless. So, as of now, Severus had no idea what to think.

Hermione cut through everyone's thoughts, businesslike as always. "So. Harry, I don't expect you to keep your… guests waiting out there," she said, turning to the aforementioned wizard. "Whether they're imposters or not, they should come in. And then we can sort all this out."

Harry eyed the small crowd outside his door suspiciously, his hand staying over his wand, but, after several moments, he finally gave in to Hermione. "Fine. But just to the parlor."

There was a general sigh of relief from those standing outside, and they began to file inside the vast entrance hall. But Harry, Ron, and even some of the teens still looked apprehensive, figures tensed and hands on wands. Hermione seemed somewhat more relaxed, which was unsurprising considering she was the one who had suggested letting the time-travelers enter the manor in the first place. But even Hermione seemed a bit tensed, with her hand straying to her back pocket once in awhile almost subconsciously.

The last member of the Order, Kingsley, had just managed to step inside the Manor when suddenly, a feminine voice spoke from near the back on the hall.

"What in Circe's name?!"

 **A/N: Hehehe! Yes, I know- I'm waaaaay too obsessed with cliffhangers. ;) Don't worry- the next chapter will hopefully be up soon.**

 **Whether you liked it or not, please, drop me a review, or at least favorite and follow! Even a quick smiley face will make my day. And besides, reviews always make me update faster.**

 **Finally, don't forget to check out my other fanfictions if you're a Harry Potter fan!**

 **Have a great day, everyone!**

 **~Hestia**


	5. The Parlor

**Chapter 5**

 **A/N: Yes, I know this is really late. I'm so sorry! I know it's a lame excuse, but I've been really busy lately, with end of term exams and everything. I'm writing this when I probably should be studying, so be thankful. ;)**

 **I'm sorry that I haven't been able to respond to any of the reviews for this chapter. For some reason, when I clicked on the reply links at first, it gave me an error message, and the reviews wouldn't show up in the review stream, either. It just started working when I checked seconds ago, but I haven't had time to reply yet. I will, hopefully after I post this chapter, but if you don't get a reply soon, you'll know why. :)**

 **Also, just for future reference, has anyone had a similar problem with responding to reviews, and if so, did you find a way to fix it? Thanks!**

 **Now for the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings in this story, nor do I claim ownership. It all goes to the great J.K. Rowling, who had changed many lives(including my own) with her wonderful writing and creativity.**

 _The last member of the Order, Kingsley, had just managed to step inside the Manor when suddenly, a feminine voice spoke from near the back of the hall._

" _What in Circe's name?!"_

Everyone, time travelers and future witches and wizards alike, spun towards the surprised and somewhat angry source of the voice.

The woman had beautiful auburn hair that tumbled down to her shoulders and a light complexion. She had soft brown eyes, and wore a confused and incredulous expression on her face.

Her name was was Ginerva Weasley Potter.

Ginny's eyes swept disbelievingly over the scene, settling on a certain black-haired wizard. "Harry- what in… what in…" She trailed off, her face rushing through several emotions in a matter of seconds- shock, grief, worry- until finally freezing into a mask of disbelief.

"I… I don't know, Gin. They say that they're from the past," Harry answered.

 _Gin?_ Many of the Order thought. _They couldn't be… they couldn't be married, could they?_

Yet all the puzzle pieces fit together- why Harry called her _Gin_ , why Ginny seemed so at home in Potter Manor, why he had told his son, Al, to tell Ron and Hermione that Ginny would be ' _back soon'_.

But no one had a chance to ask about the two's relationship, or even really react, before Ginny's face morphed into a mixture of grief, shock, and just plain horror. All of the color drained out of her face, and she just managed to clutch at a side table in the hallway to steady herself. "What do you mean, _from the past_?" The redhead whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I don't know," Harry said, his voice heavy. "We were going to bring them into the parlor, and… well… figure out what to do then. They just showed up at our doorstep several minutes ago, claiming to be from 1995."

"1995?!" Ginny whisper-shouted, seeming to regain some of her wits. "But that's- that's impossible!"

"I know," Harry said, sounding grave.

Ginny scanned the miniature crowd in the front entrance way of Potter Manor again, skin growing paler and paler with every anxious face she passed. Clutching at the side table again, she said, in what seemed to be a painful voice, "Oh Merlin. They're really all here."

No one answered verbally, but Harry walked to Ginny and clasped one of her hands in his. At the black-haired wizard's touch, Ginny seemed to relax a bit again, her face regaining some of it's color, and her other hand letting go of the side table. "Come on, Gin. We'll figure it out. We always do, right?" he said, with a small smile at the end for Ginny's benefit.

That was all the proof the Order needed that Ginny's last name was now Potter. The fact that they were married seemed undebatable now.

Bill didn't quite know what to think. His first instinct was to clench his fists and yell at Harry for a good half an hour, with a couple punches thrown in. But that feeling only lasted for a second or two, replaced with a somewhat content knowledge that Ginny would have married eventually, no matter what her brothers did, and Bill couldn't think of any better husband for her than Harry. He was caring and loyal, and Bill knew that the dark-haired wizard would take good care of his baby sister. Besides, Ginny and Harry still seemed to care for each other deeply, even though they had been married for a long time by now, judging by their son's age.

Molly's first reaction was a surge of happiness. Harry was really part of the family now! And she could think of no one better for her only daughter and youngest child than Harry. Added to that, Molly could tell just by their short interaction that the two were still deeply in love, and would do anything for each other. And Molly had grandchildren! _Grandchildren!_ Despite everything, she had grandchildren!

Arthur, like Bill, was taken by surprise and, at first, his mind seemed almost paralyzed. It had seemed not long ago that his youngest child had been just born, and seeing Ginny here, married and with children, was too much to take in. But then, that feeling was replaced with happiness. He desired nothing more for Ginny than to be happy and content, and she most definitely seemed to be. Arthur felt no overprotectiveness, or hostility towards Harry. He knew that Harry would care and love Ginny all his life. And, if nothing else, Harry had grown up with muggles, and had a huge expertise in muggle objects. _Besides, Molly will be thrilled_ , Arthur thought with a smile.

Remus was elated. Harry and Ginny seemed both very happy, and that was enough for the aging werewolf. He was somewhat surprised- after all, Harry had never showed any affection for Ginny- but then Remus thought back to James. _Male Potters always had an irrational attraction for redheads_ , he thought half-sadly, half-amusedly. And Ginny had always been quite a looker.

Hermione cleared her throat, and said, in a business-like, brisk way, "Well? Come on!"

Her words snapped everyone out of the trance-like state that had descended over the entrance hall, and Hermione, Ron, their children, and Al led the Order of the Phoenix into the room that Ron and Hermione had just come out of, followed by Harry and Ginny.

The parlor was a huge room, with an arching white ceiling supported partially by beautifully carved Corinthian columns. A large, L shaped sofa curved around half of the room, with a wonderfully fluffy looking carpet and a wooden table in the middle. Many framed newspaper articles and wizarding pictures graced the dark tan walls.

One picture in particular caught Sirius's eye. It was of a group of people at what Sirius recognized as the Potter quidditch pitch on a sunny day, laughing at something off-screen. There was Ginny and Harry standing near the back, Ginny leaning on Harry as they both laughed so hard they seemed to be on the verge of falling over. Hermione and Ron stood near them, Hermione biting her lip in a fruitless attempt to refrain from laughing, Ron clasping her hand as he shamelessly laughed so hard tears seemed on the verge of falling from his eyes. In front of the four adults sat a group of roughly teenaged children- a slightly younger version of Al, Harry and Ginny's son, who was pointing at something off-screen as his whole body shook with laughter; an older turquoise haired boy (who, upon later reflection, looked uncannily like Remus); younger versions of both of Ron and Hermione's children; an almost unrealistically beautiful blonde girl, who was leaning on the turquoise-haired boy's shoulder as she laughed with all the rest; another girl, who looked so similar to the blonde, apart from her Weasley-red hair, that they could've been sisters; a younger boy who looked almost exactly like a younger copy of Bill; another boy, about the same age, who was also definitely a Weasley; two similar looking redheads, who were sitting next to each other; a boy that looked so much like James Potter that Sirius did a double take; and a younger girl that looked similar to Ginny.

Harry caught Sirius staring at the photo as he entered the room. "Our family," he said tersely to the black-haired man.

Sirius smiled at Harry. _James would have been proud of him_ , the animagus thought sadly. _Saved the wizarding world_ and _managed to snag a pretty redhead_.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Ron speaking. Some of the Order, in addition to the future witches and wizards, had settled down on the couch, but most of the time travelers were standing awkwardly around the room. "So," Ron began suspiciously, "How are you growing to prove that you've really done the impossible and are from the future?"

"I assure you, Mr. Weasley, that our story, however unlikely it may seem, is completely true," Dumbledore said from behind his spectacles.

"Prove it," Hermione ordered.

"Would it be sufficient, Ms. Granger, if I told you several things about myself that only I and my closest friends would know?"

"It's Mrs. Weasley. And information, no matter how secret, can be stolen," Hermione said, ignoring the gasps of those who had not yet figured out her marriage to Ron.

"Well said, _Mrs. Weasley_ ," Dumbledore said. "Veritaserum, then?"

"I'm afraid that is illegal under present circumstances unless you give your explicit permission," Harry said coolly.

"Very well, then. I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, give Harry James Potter permission to administer truth serum, otherwise known as Veritaserum, to me for the purpose of questioning."

Harry stared at Dumbledore with a rock-hard gaze for several tense seconds, then turned to Ginny, his cold demeanor dropping as he said, "I'm growing to drop by my office at the Ministry. I probably have some Veritaserum there."

Then, after giving Ginny a quick smile and a squeeze of the hand, he disapparated with a pop.

 **A/N- Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? If you have a second, could you drop me a quick review and tell me what you think, positive or negative? I'd really appreciate it! Even a favorite and follow would be really great!**

 **I was going to keep on writing, but here seemed like a good place to stop, and I wanted to post something. For those of you who are looking forward to seeing Teddy, he will probably be in the next chapter. I also plan to incorporate the rest of the next generation soon. :)**

 **Again, if you're a Harry Potter fan, please check out my other fanfictions if you have a moment! Thanks!**

 **~Hestia**


	6. Waiting

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back! This update didn't take too long, I guess. Just under two weeks isn't terrible.**

 **As of now, this chapter might seem somewhat rushed, since I'm trying to squeeze an update in before Tuesday, when I'll be leaving for Italy and Greece(Woohoo!). Due to that, I won't be able to update for at least another three weeks, and probably not for almost another month, sadly. This chapter is pretty long, though- maybe even my longest chapter yet- so I hope that this makes up for the forthcoming wait.**

 **As a closing note- I'm so excited about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! I know it premiered in the U.K. on the seventh, but I live in the United States, so I won't be able to read it until the play transcript comes out on Harry Potter and J.K.R's birthdays on the thirty-first of July. CAN'T WAIT!**

 **And now for the disclaimer(do we even have to do these, anyway?): The rights of all characters and places in the following story go to J.K. Rowling. I am making no profit of any kind (other than extreme an utter happiness at seeing people review, favorite, and follow) from this story.**

" _Very well, then. I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, give Harry James Potter permission to administer truth serum, otherwise known as Veritaserum, to me for the purpose of questioning."_

 _Harry stared at Dumbledore with a rock-hard gaze for several tense seconds, then turned to Ginny, his cold demeanor dropping as he said, "I'm growing to drop by my office at the Ministry. I probably have some Veritaserum there."_

 _Then, after giving Ginny a quick smile and a squeeze of the hand, he disapparated with a pop._

The tension in the room was almost palpable as soon as Harry left.

All of the future witches and wizards (and Mad-Eye Moody- constant vigilance, after all) were stiff and edgy, hands perpetually over wands. The time-travelers weren't much better, though they kept away from their wands or any other possible method of attack, so as to not seem like a threat.

Because they _weren't_ a threat. The Order had absolutely no idea why they had time traveled, nor how. Shattering the time-turner shouldn't have done anything, let alone do the impossible and transport a whole room of people, many of which had not even been near the time turner, _forward_ in time for _years_.

But then, magic was unpredictable at times. Like now. Even after they did time travel, what were the odds that they'd end up in the front lawn of Potter Manor, after all, out of all places?

Bill coughed, trying to break some of the ice that had, figuratively, formed into a wall between the two groups. "So… um…" Realizing that everyone was staring at him, the red-headed curse breaker quickly fished around for something to say. Focusing his attention on his younger sister, Ginny- or really, _she_ was older than _him,_ now- he said, somewhat nervously, "Uh… why were you at a quidditch game earlier?"

Ginny stared at Bill, brows furrowed. "I… how did you know I was at a quidditch game?" She asked suspiciously.

He quickly recognized his mistake- after all, they had claimed to have been transported from the past moments after knocking on Potter Manor's doors, and thus would have no reason of knowing what Ginny had been doing. "Harry mentioned it right after we knocked, you know, when Al thought that we were Ron and Hermione," he added hastily.

Ginny looked to Harry, who nodded at her, a look of realization dawning on his face at Bill's explanation. Relaxing, she said, "I'm not sure if I can say. If you really are from the past… I mean…"

"It should be fine," Dumbledore said, unexpectedly. "We can be obliviated."

Ginny glanced, once again, at Harry, then Hermione, and finally Ron. When each of the aforementioned gave the redhead a tiny, almost imperceptible nod, she said, still somewhat reluctantly, "I work as a quidditch commentator for the Daily Prophet."

Many looked quite surprised at this- Remus's eyebrows shot up into his sandy-colored hair, Arthur's face donned a look of shock, Molly gasped lightly, Bill's eyes widened, and Sirius looked almost offended.

"But the Daily Prophet… it-"

Ginny broke into Bill's protest. "-Is reformed, these days." _Now that Voldemort is gone_ , went unspoken at the end of her sentence, and spirits lifted somewhat.

But not long after, silence settled like a suffocating blanket once again.

Next, it was Tonks who tried to make an attempt at friendly conversation. She looked at Ginny and waggled her eyebrows suggestively, giggling slightly. "So Harry and Ginny… never thought I'd see that." It was taking a risk, admittedly, with the tense atmosphere, but it was _Tonks_ , after all.

Ginny blushed a bit, presumably remembering her and Harry's awkward early teen years together. "Yeah," She said, gesturing towards a relatively large picture on the wall.

It was a wizarding picture, framed on the wall behind the couch that Ginny was sitting on. In it, younger versions of the present Harry and Ginny were standing at an altar at what seemed to be a tent in the backyard of the Burrow, much like the the one that Bill and Fleur's wedding had been held in. Behind them stood Ron and Hermione, probably as the best man and maid of honor. As the picture moved, it showed Harry and Ginny leaning in for a kiss, then turning to the audience, laughing, before it reset and started again. _Their wedding._

Bill looked a bit tense, his overprotective brother senses turning on automatically, though he seemed somewhat mollified to see that it was Harry who had ended up being his younger sister's groom. And he had suspected as much ever since Ginny had apparated into the hall.

It seemed somewhat strange, as Harry had never shown any outward signs of affection toward the redhead. _But things like that can change drastically in just a couple of years_ , Bill thought.

Arthur was somewhat reluctant at seeing Ginny married. Not because of who she was married to, but because he didn't want to let Ginny go. But he knew it was inevitable, and, after all, Harry would be good for her.

Molly had no such qualms. "How many children do you have?" She asked, looking and sounding positively giddy at the prospect of having grandchildren.

Ginny's lips twitched up into an almost smile. "Three. James, Al-"

A black haired teenage boy who looked so much like the late James Potter that many who had known the troublemaker did double takes swung into the room, a huge mischievous grin plastered on his face. "What about me?"

And then he saw who was in the room. The grin dropped, leaving an utterly baffled expression in its place. "Uh, mum? What in-"

"This is going to take a lot of explaining, but-" Ginny began.

She was cut off abruptly when another boy- or young man, rather- walked into the parlor. He was quite a bit older than all of the rest of the teens, probably in his early twenties, and had a shocking mane of bright turquoise hair. His complexion was light, and looked shockingly like Remus. So much, in fact, that many of the time travelers couldn't help but wonder if this was Remus's son, perhaps. But then, what were the chances of that? "What's going to take a lot of explaining?" He asked cheerily.

And then he saw who was in the room. And his expression deteriorated. Fast. Really fast. Really, _really_ fast. "Um, Aunt Ginny? What exactly is going on here?" The turquoise haired boy asked, in little more than a whisper.

 _Aunt Ginny_? Many of the time travelers wondered. Was he the son of one of the Weasley boys?

This time it was Hermione that answered. "They claim to be from the past."

"The p- past?" The turquoise boy stuttered. His eyes swept over the miniature crowd gathered in the Potters' parlor, complexion going paler and paler until it was almost completely white. "I- I-"

He turned and fled out of the room, all of the future people staring concernedly after him, yet none of them made an attempt to stop him.

Surprisingly, it was Remus who broke the uncomfortable silence that settled yet again. "Er… is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Ginny said sadly. "He just needs a little time. His parents were killed in the war, when he was only an infant, so…" She trailed off, but understanding was reflected in all of the time travelers' faces.

"Ah," Remus said uncomfortably.

Next it was the James Potter doppleganger that spoke, his face betraying his complete and utter shock. "From the past? What's that supposed to mean? And they _claim_? And how-"

Ginny broke off the teen's barrage of questions, putting a hand up to signal for him to stop. "James. We can explain, if you would actually _let me speak_."

So his name really was James. Fitting, considering his looks. Harry's eldest son, probably. After all, Ginny had been saying that she and Harry had a son named James, likely in honor Harry's late father, before the aforementioned James and the turquoise haired boy had shown up. And James looked so much like the first James Potter, Harry's dad, that it was nearly impossible for the two Jameses to not be related in some way.

James blushed a bit at being told off by his mum, but stayed quiet and let Ginny continue. "They knocked on our door a while ago, saying that they were from years in the past. During the war. Your father has gone to the Ministry to get some Veritaserum, to validate their story."

"Ohhhhhhh," He said, drawing out the _h_ as he plopped down on the couch between his mum and Hermione, where Harry had been sitting minutes before. "I see. But isn't it impossible to time travel forward, or for years at a time?"

"Theoretically," Ron answered. "But there are always exceptions."

"Ah," James said, in reply to his uncle, but said nothing else.

Silence. Once again.

"What does Harry do at the Ministry?" Sirius asked, suddenly and unexpectedly. The future adults looked between each other for a moment, before Ginny replied, "He's an auror."

This perked Mad-Eye Moody's attention. "Always thought he'd be a good auror, that Potter boy," he said gruffly.

And then silence again.

"Oh, come on," Molly cried, exasperated. "Here we are, in a room with people from the future, and all that we're doing is staring at each other in silence! Well? Tell us about yourselves! We're going to be obliviated anyway, why not give us something to hope for?"

"Er," Ron said, awkwardly looking at the younger version of his mother. "If you're going to be obliviated, then how…"

"Memory charms, as its name suggests, can erase portions of one's memory," Dumbledore cut in. "They cannot, however, erase the hope held in one's heart. And Merlin knows that hope is exactly what we need."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, I'll go first, I suppose. I'm forty-three, married to this git here, obviously," she said, gesturing at Ron with a playful smile, "Two children, Rose and Hugo, and I'm the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

The reactions were varied- Molly and Arthur proud and happy, especially at seeing Hermione and Ron married; Remus smiling; Minerva McGonagall, like Molly and Arthur, proud at seeing her student (or former student now, really) in such a prestigious place in the Ministry, and so on. Hermione, content with her explanation, leaned back in the sofa and gestured at her husband to continue.

"Um-" Ron began awkwardly-(it seemed as if some things never changed)- "Well, I'm forty-three, like Hermione, obviously, and I… erm… well, other than the stuff that Hermione already said… I work at George's- and Fred's- joke shop."

Ginny went next. "So. I'm a quidditch commentator, as I said. Married to Harry, obviously, and we've got three children: James, Albus, and Lily."

Dumbledore felt tears welling up inside of his eyes. _Albus. Albus. Albus._ Despite all of the mistakes he had made, despite everything, Harry had named his child- his child!- after him. And the old wizard couldn't think of anything better.

Both Sirius and Remus felt sad smiles come upon their faces. _James and Lily._ The first James and Lily Potter, Harry's parents which he had never known, hadn't gotten a chance to have a happy ending. But now, decades later, a new James and Lily were getting a chance to rewrite the ending; getting a chance to undo the wrong that had come upon Sirius and Remus's loyal friends. _Prongs would've been so honored…_

Molly was beyond ecstatic. "Five grandchildren! Five!"

Ron chuckled. "More than five, actually. Eleven. Victorie, Dominique, Louis, Molly, Lucy, Fred, Hugo, Rose, James, Al, and Lily. Oh, and Teddy's basically a Weasley, too. So technically twelve. And one almost-great-grandchild."

"Twelve! Twelve!" Molly exclaimed, almost bouncing off the walls with excitement as she turned to Arthur to clutch his hands. "Did you hear that, Arthur?! We've got twelve grandchildren!"

Arthur chuckled at his wife's antics, yet his own eyes were alight. "But… how can we have an almost great-grandchild?"

"Oh, Victorie's pregnant. Due in Decem-"

 _Bang._

Everyone went silent.

 **** **"** **Who's there?" Ginny shouted.**

"Sorry!" A sheepish voice replied. "I- _OW! Stop that, Louis, for Merlin's sake!_ \- knocked into a chair coming out of the Floo."

"Oh," Ginny said, relieved, as the tension that had built up in the room dissipated all at once. "Dominique?" Ginny continued. "Is that you?"

 **A/N: So there you go! Chapter six! Teddy is finally here! Don't worry, there will be more of him in the next few chapters. If you liked it, please give me a review- even a quick smiley face would be awesome- and a favorite/follow. Pleeaaassseeee! If you didn't like it, please tell me what I can improve. And if you really,** _ **really**_ **hated it and just want to flame me in the reviews section all day- well, everyone gets that feeling once in awhile, right? ;)**

 **I'll try to update as soon as possible after I come back from my vacation, but it still might take a month or so. Bear with me, please!**

 **Oh- and as a closing note, the floor plans for Potter Manor that I am using as a basis for this story were designed by Raiderhater1013 on DeviantArt. You can find them if you just search** _ **Potter Manor floor plans**_ **on Google Images.**

 **Have a great day, everyone!**

 **Hestia**


	7. Veritaserum

**A/N: Hello! I'm still alive!**

 **Yes, I know it's been a long time, but in my defense, I just went on a ten-day educational tour in Italy and Greece, and I've been busy catching up on things. Anyway, you probably don't want to hear(or read) my ranting, and I don't really feel like typing right now, so I'll just shut up and we can get to the disclaimer. ;)**

 **Oh, and one last thing- review, please! As I said in the last chapter, and kind of review will be appreciated, even a quick smiley or frowny face. It will only take a second. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings in the following chapter. The Harry Potter series is property of J.K. Rowling, and I am making no monetary profit off of this story.**

" _Sorry!" A sheepish voice replied. "I- OW! Stop that, Louis, for Merlin's sake!- knocked into a chair coming out of the Floo."_

" _Oh," Ginny said, relieved, as the tension that had built up in the room dissipated all at once. "Dominique?" Ginny continued. "Is that you?"_

"Mm-hm," The girl named Dominique replied, two pairs of footsteps echoing up the hall to the parlor. "And Louis."

 ** _Dominique and Louis_** **, Molly thought.** ** _Two of my grandchildren!_**

"Dom, Louis, before you-" Hermione began.

It was too late. A girl with beautiful long red hair and dark sapphire eyes stepped into the room, her eyes widening and jaw dropping as she noticed the members of the Order of the Phoenix. After a moment of shocked incoherence, her right hand went down to her wand, which was partially sticking out of her left jean pocket. "Wha- how- I- What is going on here?! Aren't those-"

"People from the past?" Ron interrupted with a sigh. "Yes."

After another couple moments of shocked silence, Dominique evidently decided it would be easier to stick to the familiar and turned to her cousin James, pale-with-shock features finally starting to return to normal. "What in the name of Merlin is going on?" Before James could answer, Dominique suddenly cut in again, shaking her head. "Never mind. I- I don't think I want to know. Where's Vic and Teddy?"

James, seemingly glad to have a distraction from the tense atmosphere, replied, "Well, Victorie had to go grab something from Elizabeth's house, and Teddy… er, Teddy…" He trailed off uncomfortably, eyes washing over the small crowd gathered in the parlor. "Er…"

Dominique followed her cousin's gaze, and an awkward sort of understanding settled over her face. "Oh."

Most of the Order were confused by this, but decided not to act. Even though the future wizards were seemingly accepting the truth, especially since Ron had introduced them as 'from the past' to Dominique and Louis, it was clear that it would not be wise to question their welcome.

Louis opened his mouth, as if to say something, but just then, Harry apparated into the doorway of the parlor, right behind Louis and Dominique, a small clear glass bottle in his hand. Upon seeing his eldest son, niece, and nephew, his eyes widened. "James? Louis? Dominique? What are you doing here?"

Surprisingly, it was Harry's wife Ginny that answered. "I think we forgot that there was a family reunion today," she said, amusement clear in her voice.

For a moment, a surprised sort of shock came over Harry's face. And then his face fell, and he cursed under his breath. " _Bloody hell._ What are we going to do now?"

"Language, Harry," Hermione chastised her brother-in-law teasingly. "I say that we just go on with the gathering," she said. "If they do really end up being from the past, well, it might do some of us some good to… you know…" _See lost friends and family again_. The brown-haired witch didn't continue, but the end of her sentence seemed to hang in the air.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" That was Ron, who looked somewhat concerned. "I mean, it might change the past."

"It's not like we have another choice," his wife countered. "We couldn't just cancel the reunion for seemingly no reason. Besides, it starts in-" Hermione paused for a moment as she checked her watch- "eighteen minutes. There's no way we could get word out to everyone."

Ron nodded, defeated. "You're right."

Hermione, business-like as always, turned to Harry immediately. "Veritaserum?"

The aforementioned wizard nodded somewhat awkwardly and held out the bottle in his hand. "Here…"

Hermione gestured to Dumbledore, and Harry, following her instruction, gave the vial to the old wizard. Dumbledore complacently popped the cork out of the rim of the vial and poured several small drops onto his left index finger. He brought the finger to his lips and gently touched the tip of his tongue to it.

Nothing seemed to change in Dumbledore on first glance. But when you looked at him closely, his eyes seemed a bit… _different_. Foggier, maybe.

Hermione didn't delay, jumping straight into the questions. "Are you from the summer of 1995, as you claim?"

The answer came almost immediately, sounding slightly hollow and un-Dumbledore-like. "Yes."

Hermione's eyes swept over the room, naming each of the Order members present. "Are the Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid, Minerva McGonagall, Bill Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher, Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance, Mad-Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Sirius Black in this room who they claim to be and from the the summer of 1995?"

Some of the members looked fairly surprised that Hermione still knew their names. "As far as I know."

"Has everything you have said to us today been the complete truth?"

"Yes."

Hermione paused, staring at Dumbledore firmly for several seconds. Finally, she seemed to be appeased. "Alright."

Harry cut in, saying, "The veritaserum should fade away in a minute or so. As for what we do next…"

Hermione began talking again in a no-nonsense tone that never failed to shut everyone up. "We need to find a way to get you back immediately, of course. So first of all- how did you lot get here in the first place?"

 **And there we go! I was going to bring Teddy back in this chapter, but I wanted to end it here. So he'll probably make an appearance in the next chapter. Hopefully. ;)**

 **Favorite, follow and review! Please!**

 **Have a great day,**

 **Hestia.**


	8. Thoughts

**Hi again!**

 **I'm sorry that this chapter is really late- I really am- I enjoy reading fan fiction even more than I enjoy writing it (which is saying a lot), so I know how it feels when an author doesn't update for a long time. Though I wouldn't say that my updating habits are too bad- I know stories that are really well written, but only get updated every year or so. This wasn't terrible in comparison to a whole year. ;) And besides, I have an excuse- school just started, and I already have a horrible amount of homework. And I play the clarinet, and we have symphony chair auditions soon, and all that… Ugh.**

 **Cursed Child! Whoo hoo! I live in America, so I obviously didn't get a chance to see the play live, but I did get the play script ASAP. I loved it personally: I didn't know if I would like reading a book in play format, but the playwrights did a great job with stage directions and such, and I loved imagining what was going on on the stage. If you haven't read it yet- it's definitely worth it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings in the following chapter. The Harry Potter series is property of J.K. Rowling, and I am making no monetary profit off of this story.**

 _Hermione began talking again in a no-nonsense tone that never failed to shut everyone up. "We need to find a way to get you back immediately, of course. So first of all- how did you lot get here in the first place?"_

Harry didn't quite know what to think. He had carefully maintained his composure, a trick carefully perfected by years of being an auror and a parent. But inside, he was a crashing storm.

The veritaserum had confirmed the truth behind the unexpected visitors' story, no doubt about it. There were some people who would have rather believed that the truth serum was faulty rather than believe Dumbledore was telling the truth, but Harry knew better than that. The potion had been brewed by one of the Ministry's most skilled potions masters. And in addition to that, he had seen and heard- no, he had lived through- plenty of more crazy things.

Seeing Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore, even Snape, for the first time in years, though, had awoken something in Harry. He wanted nothing more than to go and hug Sirius again, apologize for his death (that had happened already, and not happened yet, at the same time); to talk to Remus and Dumbledore again; to joke with Tonks again; and to tell Snape that he understood, that he respected him to the point of naming his son after the man. But there would be time for doing most of that later. Now was not the time or the place.

His heart ached for Teddy. Seeing his parents for the first time, in this way, after all those years of wishing and dreaming… Harry resolved to go talk to his godson the first chance he got. After all, if it had been the first Order of the Phoenix that had time traveled here… well, suffice it to say that no amount of auror training could have prepared him.

Harry's son, James, was bewildered and was feeling quite out of sorts. He believed that these people were from the past, all right. His parents, aunt and uncle seemed to believe that they did, and despite James's daily shows of mischief and disobedience, he respected and trusted them more than anything. If they trusted that the so-called time travelers' crazy story was true, then he did too.

But that didn't mean he knew what to do about it. There was Sirius Black, the man he had been named after… and there were Remus and Nymphadora Lupin- no, Nymphadora Tonks- his parents had told him that Teddy's parents had been married in 1997, and these people were from 1995- (which, on second thought, gave lots of opportunities for a prank… but these were _Teddy's_ parents, which ought to give them a free pass, and besides, it might change the future) … and Severus Snape (Uncle Ron had been right- his hair really was impossibly oily) … and Albus Dumbledore! (Merlin- Albus was going to have a ball- both his namesakes were here) … and Mad-Eye Moody… and there was Hagrid, and Minister Shacklebolt, and Gram and Gramps, and Professor McGonagall, and Uncle Bill- all looking years younger. (James had to take a double take with Uncle Bill- where were all his scars?!- before remembering that they were from _1995_.)

He felt horrible and exuberant for Teddy at the same time- finally getting to meet his parents had always been a dream of his, but meeting them like this, without any warning, and before they were even married…

James looked to his cousins- Dominique looked a bit lost- after all, here were her sister's parents-in-law, and her father, without any of his scars. But she also looked a bit afraid- afraid for what? For her sister, and brother-in-law? Dominique wasn't like her older sister- she was headstrong and brave. So why was she afraid?

James pushed Dominique's strange expression to the back of his mind, convinced it couldn't be significant. And besides, Louis's expression was too hilarious to ignore. His jaw was still on the floor, and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head at any moment. It was worth taking a picture of- lots of blackmail possibilities- but then, now was not the time or the place. After all, a bunch of dead people from 1995 had just popped out of nowhere, _literally_ , so…

A soft chorus of sighs snapped James out of his reverie as the members of the Order of the Phoenix looked at each other, daring someone to speak and answer Hermione's question. Finally Severus Snape stood, his face twisted into a mask of unpleasantness.

"You all are _pathetic_. Very well, if no one will speak, I will," he drawled. "This idiot over here-" he pointed at Mundungus Fletcher, who had a scowl on his face- "decided that it would be a good idea to bring a _time turner_ to an Order meeting, so of course this clumsy fool" he pointed at Tonks- "just _had_ to trip and knock it over-"

Snape was interrupted by a furious Sirius Black, who jumped up and shouted, "Why, you little-"

Harry put his hand up, and Sirius snapped his mouth shut. "Continue, please," he said to his former potions professor mildly.

Severus, a satisfied and yet slightly surprised look on his face, complied with Harry's order. "And the time-turner that shouldn't have been there in the first place, if not for _him_ -" Snape glared at Mundungus once again- "shattered, and the sand created a of cloud around us. And then we were here in this _Merlin-forsaken_ place." The potions professor sat down, a superior look on his face.

Sirius looked ready to jump up and attack Snape for his not-so-respectful narration, and yet he seemed to think that it wouldn't be polite to hex even the greasy-haired potions professor in Harry's house without his permission. He kept shooting looks at the bespectacled wizard, but Harry's face was a mask of concentration and puzzlement.

Ignoring his godfather, the auror said, bewilderment clear in his voice, "If what you say is true, then your accidental transportation to this time period must have been somehow triggered by the shattering of the time-turner. And yet…" He turned to look at his wife, Ginny, who, along with the rest of the four future adults, was sporting a somewhat confused look.

"We'll just say that time-turners have been shattered before, in the immediate vicinity of large groups of people, to no effect even slightly similar to what you described," Ginny said, acting extremely civil to Snape, just like Harry, to many of the Order members' confusion. "I'm afraid that I can't elaborate on the circumstances; after all, even if we do obliviate you, I feel would be best that we don't reveal too much, just in case." A murmur of assent rolled across the room.

"But why would this case be different?" Hermione murmured almost to herself, returning to the subject of the time-turner.

"Maybe it had something to do with there only being one time-turner when they were transported here," her husband suggested.

"But that shouldn't make a difference, right?" Ginny said, puzzled. "If anything, it should make it much more unlikely that a whole room of people ended up here. I mean, not all of them were even touching it. How could that happen? Wouldn't the chances be equally likely that a houseplant came back with them, or something else inanimate in the room?"

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, Ginny. Maybe it was the dust that did it? But then we would also have to factor in the fact that only the humans in the room were sent back, and not everything that the dust touched… and why was there dust anyway?"

"Mundungus," Harry asked, "was there anything special about the time-turner that sent you lot here?"

"Nah," he replied, looking a bit surprised at being addressed so directly. "I' was jus' a normal Ministry- 'tandard un', as far as I know."

"But you aren't one-hundred percent sure about that, are you?" Hermione questioned.

"I got i' from a pawn shop in Knocktur' Alley," was the answer. "So, no."

"It looked quite normal to me," Remus cut in. "I didn't see it too closely, but there was definitely nothing noteworthy that would suggest the ability to do something as remarkable as… as this."

This statement got another murmur of assent. "If we assume that there was nothing different about the time-turner, and that the shattering the turner was not all of what caused the accidental transportation," Dumbledore said, immediately quieting the whole room, "perhaps something in our environment or timing triggered the change."

"Well," Tonks said, shooting an apologetic look at Sirius, "We were in 12 Grimmauld Place, and, well, that place is practically infused in dark magic."

Sirius nodded, looking completely unembarrassed. "True."

Hermione twisted her face into a mask of concentration and squeezed her eyes closed. " If we assume that the shattered time turner reacted with the dark magic of Grimmauld Place and sent you here… _Wait!_ " She suddenly gasped, eyes shooting open. "Wait!" Everyone looked to her. The gears in Hermione's mind seemed to be spinning as she said, "I can't believe we overlooked this before! According to the laws of magic- it's impossible!" Hermione paused a moment, and said, "If you were in Grimmauld Place when the time turner shattered, how- _how in the world_ did you land- _here_?"

 **Dun dun dun! There you go!**

 **So we got more of the Next Generation's thoughts in this chapter- I know I said that I was going to bring Teddy back, but I'm the sort of writer who writes without a definite plan, so while I was going to bring him back, I thought the chapter worked better this way.**

 **Also, this is no longer canon because of Cursed Child, but I do not plan to gp back and change it.**

 **Favorite, follow, and review, please! Even a quick smiley face would make me smile. :)**

 **Have a great day,**

 **Hestia**


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